Saturday morning brought many White Throated Sparrows and Ruby Crowned 
Kinglets to the yard.  It was nice to hear the White Throated Sparrows begin 
to sing and compete with the Caroline Wrens and Mockingbirds.  One Golden 
Crowned Kinglet showed up on Sunday and I saw a Winter Wren today.  

The Ruby Crowned Kinglets have been pretending to be Hummingbirds by 
trying to hover and reach into the long necks on the nicotiana flowers that 
have not been hit by frost.  I do not think they are after the nectar, but 
probably after insects that are hiding there.  Would Kinglets go after nectar?

A Blue Jay set a new yard record by picking up 29 sunflower seeds in one 
sitting ... the previous record was 23.  I imagine he was flying off to store 
them in his winter hidey-hole.  And, yes, I do have a life other than counting 
Blue Jays picking up seeds!  I just happened to be having lunch and watching 
the feeder.  I managed 77 seeds before I had to spit them out.  ;-)

Check out this web site for a description of the migration around Vera Cruz.  
Over 50,000 Broad Winged Hawks in one short day of observations.
http://www.ebird.org/content/news/Veracruz.html

Jim Wilson